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A Dangerous Method

Cert: TBC | 99 MINS Opens: February 10 - 2012

The premise of David Cronenberg’s lat­est effort will be familiar to his fans. A Dangerous Method is a brooding tale of dark desire and the dread that lurks behind genius, experienced by intellectual misfits in conventional society. Yet the director brings these recognizable obsessions to a new genre: the historical period piece.

Set in Vienna on the eve of the First World War, the film explores the complex relationship between novice psychiatrist Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and his mentor Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen, in his third consecutive collaboration with Cronenberg). Studying under the already well-established Freud, Jung practices his teacher’s methods while developing his own theories based on the clinical study of psy­chologically disturbed patients. When a sick young Russian woman arrives at the clinic, both Jung and Freud are fascinated by her case and spellbound by her vulnerable yet dangerous sexuality.

The beautiful and profoundly disturbed Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) strikes an untapped well of unconscious emotions within Jung as he begins to probe her dark past. When his primal attraction to Sabina deepens and their interaction intensifies, Jung begins to question the restrictions of Freud’s methodology and develops his own approach to human behaviour and treatment. Strong supporting turns from Vincent Cassel as radical psychoanalyst Otto Gross — who encourages his patients to liberate rather than repress their base instincts — and Canadian newcomer Sarah Gadon as Jung’s morally upright wife com­plete the web of troubled relationships that surround Sabina’s treatment.

Screenwriter Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons) adapted the film from his own play The Talking Cure, itself based on John Kerr’s non-fiction work A Most Dangerous Method: The Story of Jung, Freud, and Sabina Spielrein. Sharp-witted dialogue and a pristine turn-of-the-century-Vienna setting add a refined tone to a film that explores the anything-but-civilized depths of human desire.

Directed by:

David Cronenberg

Written by:

Christopher Hampton (screenplay), John Kerr (book)

Starring:

Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Vincent Cassel

Offical Website:

http://www.sonyclassics.com/adangerousmethod

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